Punter's mourning as Wetherspoons' oldest pub is up for sale, with dozens of risks
WETHERSPOONS' oldest pub has been put on the market as the popular chain continues to offload sites.
London's Rochester Castle is set to be sold three decades after it first became a Wetherspoons, as dozens of other sites are up for sale.
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Spoons opened at its Stoke Newington site in 1983 and has since become the giant's oldest continuously operated pub.
Fans of the castle won't let their favorite drink go without a fight.
a petition launched to prevent the 'vital community space' from being closed, currently has 630 signatures.
Fan Jasey Dalaigh said: “It's real and a new thrill for the community.
“Where else can retirees go to meet friends, there is no pub like it in Stokey, all walks of life are ages etc.”
Dale Robertson said: “This blunder is one in a million… it's a Stokey institution full of characters you won't find in many pubs anymore.”
Lorraine Stils said: “This pub is legendary. Don't close it. So many older people use it as a meeting place.”
The pub has hosted famous British bands including The Jam, The Stranglers and Ian Dury.
JD Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We can confirm that The Rochester Castle is coming to market.
“Wetherspoon occasionally puts some of its pubs up for sale, and that is the case here. The company will continue to trade as normal until it is sold.”
There has been a pub on the grounds of Stoke Newington since 1702.
Initially it was called the Green Dragon and in 1801 it became Rochester Castle.
The Sun named the pub one of the ten weirdest Wetherspoons in the country.
The announced sale of the castle comes after Spoons also announced the sale of a popular pub in Edinburgh.
The Foot of the walk bar in Edinburgh Leith is also on the market because a sewer pipe burst under the building.
The chain – which has 827 pubs across Britain – warned last September that it would put dozens of pubs up for sale.
In December, 20 Wetherspoons were up for sale, while eight were under promotion, leaving fans concerned that their local branch could be lost forever.
The Percy Shaw in Halifax called in its last orders on Jan. 7 after the location was sold to a new owner.
Other pubs were for sale in Battersea, Bristol, Peebles and Shipley.
It comes at a time when a number of British pubs have closed their doors for good in a turbulent economic context.
Rising energy and labor costs are putting further pressure on companies.
Wetherspoon pubs for sale
There are currently some 39 other Wetherspoons for sale, with the Rochester Crown becoming the 40th.
Here's the full list:
- Barnsley – Silkstone Inn
- Beaconsfield – Hope and Champion
- Bexleyheath – Wrong 'Un
- Bournemouth – Christopher Creeke
- Cheltenham – Bank House
- Crediton, Devon – General Sir Redvers Buller
- Derby – Thomas Leaper
- Durham – Waterhouse
- Fareham Lord Arthur Lee
- Fraserburgh – The Saltoun Inn
- Halifax – Percy Shaw
- Hanham – Jolly Zeeman
- Harrow – Moon on the Hill
- Hove – Cliftonville Inn
- London Battersea – Asparagus
- London East Ham – Miller's Well
- London Eltham – Bank Exchange
- London Forest Gate – Hudson Bay
- London Forest Hill – Capitol
- London Hammersmith – Plow and harrow
- London Holloway – Coronet
- London Hornsey – Tollgate
- London Holborn – Penderels oak
- London Islington – Engel
- London Palmers Green – Alfred Herring
- Loughborough – Moon and bell
- Loughton – Last post
- Mansfield – Widow Frost
- Middlesbrough – Resolution
- Peebles – Cross keys
- Purley–Foxley Hatch
- Redditch – Rising Sun
- Sevenoaks-Sennockian
- Southampton – Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis
- Stafford – Butler's Bell
- Watford – Colombia Press
- West Bromwich – Billiards Hall
- Willenhall – Malting
- Wirral – John Masefield
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